Save Me
by Love MiLou
Summary: She will pay. He will find her and destroy her for taking Kagome from them. That is Inuyasha's vow, but vows are easier to make then uphold if the target can't be found.


Disclaimer: story idea is mine, characters and story base is Rumiko Takahashi's.

**Chapter 1: Save Me**

"Prison gates wont open up for me,

on these hands and knees I'm crawlin'

oh, I reach for you

well I'm terrified of these four walls

these iron bars can't hold my soul in

all I need is you

come, please, I'm callin'

and oh, I scream for you

hurry, I'm fallin'…"

-Nickelback "Savin' Me"

* * *

She ran. With wrists bound tightly in rope against her chest, now stained red from her blood after days of chafing and struggling, she manages to race through the thick underbrush of some forest. Stray branches grab at her clothing, tearing pieces away as she plows through another wall of brush.

She doesn't feel the pull as pieces of her clothes are torn off and left behind. She doesn't register the sting of the many nicks along her exposed legs. She doesn't hear the monsters chasing after her, calling out to her with sickening pet names. She feels the pound of each foot hitting the ground, the sting of exhaustion, and hears only the wind in her ears.

Her goal is to get as far away from the hell she'd escaped, again.

Tears stream down her cheeks as she shoves a branch out of her way. No way would she go back, not this time. This time she would get away, he would find her, she knows he'll find her.

Her legs fight her, but she manages to move faster. Her shirt now hangs off one shoulder, the other fully exposed from a gash at the collar. Bruises of all colors can be seen along both of them and her neck. Her skirt is filled with bloody holes along her right hip from claws breaking through and into her skin. The original green color is hardly recognizable mixed with the brown-red color of old blood. Her lower lip is swollen and cracked open, spilling blood onto her tongue as she pants for air. Her run is with a slight limp due to a horrible twist in her right ankle. As painful as it is, she's proud she managed to kick the wooden panel in half to make her escape. Maybe she'd be able to tell him in person soon enough. The thought alone alleviates her pain and pushes her further through the forest.

Her worn sneaker catches a rogue root and she stumbles slightly. She twists and manages to land on her good shoulder, but still cries out as jagged rocks break her pale skin. She knows the monsters had managed to follow her this long because of her trail. With the amount of blood, tears and sweat pouring off her figure, a human would be able to track her.

A tree crashes behind her and she scrambles to her feet, hopping up like a frog using her forearms for balance. Her race continues, no goal in sight, no direction known, just the sound of those monsters behind her and her fear of going back pushing her further.

Days of being tied down, malnourishment and abuse finally takes its toll after a few hours of running, causing her to slow and see spots. She sees a tree with high branches and leans against it when she reaches it. Her whole body is shaking in a mixed state of pain and euphoria from adrenalin as she slides down the trunk. Her breathing is labored and her vision is flickering. She screams at her body to get up, to keep moving, but she's paralyzed, disconnected. The individual cuts finally make their existence known as blood pulses through her veins. She's weak, she's tired, and she can't go on. Hot tears pour down her cheeks in frustration. She'd made it further the second time she escaped, managing to find a main road before being tackled by a bear demon. She went back kicking and screaming, despite blood pouring from her nose and lip. She had no idea if she had been going the same direction, she just ran, crossing her fingers as best as she could.

The first demon reaches her a few seconds later and sneers down at her. His boar-like snout is scrunched between two beady eyes and twin tusks curl menacingly towards her. He gives a short snort and grabs her by her arm tightly. She would cry out from the pain, but in her exhaustion she can only manage a moan as he swings her over his shoulder and tromps back the direction she came. His grey skin is tough and smells of rotten food, burning her nose. She can feel herself fading from exhaustion, but she manages to scream out his name. The name of the one person who can save her, the one person who will find her and bring her home slips past her lips with such terror and pleading the demon below her even gives a slight shudder.

"INUYASHA!"

Nature is mocking him. The innocent twinkling of the stars croaks of the frogs and chirps of crickets all mock his inner turmoil with their peace. His perch is only about ten feet off the ground, allowing him to listen to both his pack and the rest of the world. The slayer is curled up against the fire cat, her warm body protecting her mistress and melting her aching muscles. The monk is leaned against a tree, sound asleep as well but obviously less comfortable then his companion. Lastly, the little fox kit lay curled around her bag. The oversized yellow bag is still being carted around by unspoken reasons.

To a degree he envies the kit. Every night he would curl up around the yellow monstrosity, burrowing his nose into the fabric. Everyone knows he's taking the circumstances really hard. After loosing his first family he had found a new one. She was there to comfort him, bring him treats, play with him, and love him as if he were her own. The fact he's using her scent to comfort him proves their relationship. Young demons rely on scent above everything else. By instinct, a demon infant picks up their mother's scent and bases their environment on them. If the mothers were to leave or her scent was to disappear, then demons know they are likely to die. Granted Shippo isn't an infant, the instinct to seek his mother's scent is still prominent.

Letting out a sigh he looks back up at the stars. The day had been a waste. They had reached the southernmost major village in search of leads but had come up dry. For eight days they had been searching, both by foot and air. Not one clue. No one had seen or heard of the moth demon or her lap dogs.

He drags his claws into the wood. That bitch would pay.

She will pay for ambushing them, pay for kidnapping Kagome, and pay for whatever it is she's doing to her. He had decided right away she wanted Kagome for something. She had taken her and not even glanced at the bag where the Shikon shards were kept.

The reason why though escaped him.

Everyone had become almost silent during the travels between villages and leads; no one wanted to voice their concerns or doubts. Even Shippo sat on Kirara in silence as they moved from village to village. Inuyasha isn't even sure he's said a single word since the day she was taken.

He hears a soft whimper and looks down at his pack again, ears forward to search for the source. He hears it again and looks at Shippo. The kit is squirming in his sleep, probably another nightmare. He had been having a reoccurring one for the past four nights.

Inuyasha glances at Sango and Miroku, making sure they're sound asleep. He then leaps off his branch, scooping up the young kit in his arms before returning to his perch. He crosses his legs and places the kit in his lap. Laying his arms on his knees, the fire rat robe drapes over the kit as a blanket. Shippo instantly settles, burrowing his nose into the musky robe. He'd been doing this since the first nightmare. He hadn't even thought twice about picking up the young fox, he simply picked him up and waited till he settled. Though he'd never admit it, this makes Inuyasha smile with pride every time.

The kit unknowingly associates him as a father figure.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! My name is MiLou and I'm a new writer for the site. Granted I haven't posted anything before, I've been sitting on a few ideas for a while, writing and editing them over and over. I've been reading many stories for a while, so I figured I'll try my hand! Let me know how I'm doing please, constructed criticism is appreciated!

Love, MiLou


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